Dark Chocolate Mousse Cake

A rich and decadent dark chocolate mousse cake makes the perfect showstopper for your next holiday party or dessert buffet. Ultra chocolatey and super moist, this seven layer cake is a chocolate lover’s dream!

This post is sponsored by Ghirardelli. As always, all thoughts and opinions are 100% my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that help make Browned Butter Blondie possible. 

The countdown in ON bakers! Just one week until Christmas Eve and I for one have been baking up a storm. I am here for any reason to bake up all the pretty sugar frosted cookies, Christmas morning cinnamon buns, and let’s not forget the cranberry quickbread. Christmastime is my favorite time of the year, mostly because I can bake with abandon and there are always takers for warm cookies or peppermint studded brownies fresh from the oven. So if you haven’t already lined up exactly what you plan to serve at your holiday dessert table, allow me to gently nudge you in the direction of this seven layer dark chocolate mousse cake.

You heard that right. Seven layers! This chocolate lover’s cake is piled high with four layers of rich, decadent cake and a silky, ultra chocolatey mousse. Topped off with a final layer of dark chocolate ganache and sugared cranberries, this pretty little cake just screams holiday show stopper. I don’t know where you plan to be on Christmas Eve, but I want to be wherever this cake is being served!

If you’ve been following along here for awhile, you know that my love for all things chocolate runs deep. Thank goodness chocolate is here to stay. We can always count on chocolate for those occasions when you need a dessert that really shines. This seven layer number is pretty much the definition of merry and bright if you ask me and I can’t wait to tell you all about it.

HOW TO MAKE THE BEST CHOCOLATE CAKE

To make this dark chocolate mousse cake, we’ll need to prep a few parts and pieces in advance. Making a layer cake takes a bit of planning but assembling this seven layer beauty is like a thing of Christmas magic.

First we start with our deep, dark chocolate cake. I’ve adapted my recipe for Extra Dark Chocolate Snack Cake to pour into four, six inch cake pans. To make the cake we start by mixing Ghirardelli 60% Bittersweet Cacao Baking Chips with hot water and freshly brewed espresso. Ghirardelli’s bittersweet chocolate chips are my go-to for just about anything that requires chocolate. With their luxuriously deep flavor and smooth texture, Ghirardelli’s baking chips are hard to beat. You could substitute semi-sweet baking chips in this recipe but I much prefer the slightly more mellow, less sweet flavor the bittersweet chocolate imparts.

While the chocolate cools, we combine the yogurt, milk, oil and eggs. The addition of the greek yogurt and a generous pour of whole milk guarantees a soft crumb every time. After adding in the dry ingredients we’ll mix in the melted chocolate and espresso until just barely combined. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cake pans and bake for a scant 25-30 minutes.

TIPS FOR THE BEST CHOCOLATE MOUSSE

While your cakes are baking, we’ll prepare the chocolate mousse. This recipe for rich, smooth chocolate mousse is about as easy as they come. There are no eggs or gelatin in the recipe but it keeps it’s form well and provides a light and fluffy filling that is sturdy enough to hold together the chocolate cake layers. To make the mousse we’ll start by melting more of Ghirardelli’s 60% Bittersweet Cacao Baking Chips {told you I use it pretty much ALWAYS!}. Combined with a bit of cocao powder and hot water, this chocolate mixture is then folded gently into freshly whipped cream. Be weary of over mixing the mousse here. We don’t want to knock all the air out of the whipped cream so mix until just barely combined. This mousse is a dreamy dessert all on it’s own but paired with the extra dark chocolate cake, it’s pure heaven!

HOW TO ASSEMBLE YOUR CAKE

For best results, chill the mousse in the fridge while you wait for your cake layers to reach room temperature. It’s tempting, I know, but don’t even think about assembling your cake until the layers are completely cool to the touch and your mousse is slightly chilled. First, start by using a cake cutter or a large, serrated knife to slice the tops off of the four cake layers so they are nice and even.  To assemble this seven layer wonder, start by placing the flat side of the first cake layer on a cake plate or pedestal. Follow with about 3/4 cup of the chocolate mousse, spreading to the edges and leveling it flat with an offset spatula. Continue with remaining cake layers and mousse checking to be sure they are stacking straight up and down and are level across the top. Be sure to reserve about a 1/4 cup of the mousse to spread around the outside of the cake, almost like a crumb coat. Return the cake to the fridge to set for a bit before covering in smooth, chocolate ganache.

HOW TO MAKE THE VERY BEST GANACHE

It’s no surprise that with just two ingredients in the recipe, quality is key. Using a good {make that great!} dark chocolate is pretty much mandatory. For this simple ganache I use Ghirardelli’s 60% Bittersweet Baking Chips which is the perfect match for the sweetness of the cake and mousse that it enrobes. Just pour hot heavy whipping cream over the top of the baking chips and allow them to melt for 2-3 minutes before stirring. The ganache will come together effortlessly and will be smooth and shiny… the perfect finale to our seven layer chocolate mousse cake. Just be sure to wait until the ganache has reached room temperature before pouring it on top of the cake. You can use an offset spatula to smooth it around the sides of the cake evenly, or for a more rustic look, let the ganache simply drip down the sides.

I’ll be the first to say that chocolate deserves center stage at any holiday dessert buffet and this dark chocolate mousse cake will certainly draw a line of eager chocolate lovers with plates in hand. Since Christmas Eve is the perfect time to get our fancy on, we’re topping this cutie cake with sugared cranberries and rosemary sprigs. Quite possibly the easiest cake topper ever, the cranberries and rosemary trees add that little sparkle that the year’s most special night deserves. And don’t think for a second that they’re too hard to too fussy to make. Quite the opposite. All you need is two ingredients and a cup of cranberries. You can find all the details here in my post about How to Make Sugared Cranberries and Rosemary Sprigs. They’re so pretty you’ll want to add them to your cakes, cupcakes, even your cocktails!

With all the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, trust me when I say this dark chocolate mousse cake is worth making time for this coming Christmas. It’s as pretty as it is delicious and I’m guessing there won’t be a single crumb left over by the time Santa stops by. Wishing you and yours a magical Christmas full of love, laughter and of course, lots of chocolate. I’m counting each of you on my list of blessings this year. Happy baking and happy holidays!

Print